Bunny space????

[Keano]

So we have a cat we are trying to get chill with our bun buns which is going ok but we keep the bunnies in our room and the cat has the rest of the apartment. Ideally all would roam free but I don’t want the bunnies to get hurt by our cat while we are gone so they are only out around the entire place when we are around and can pay attention. Our cat is almost 4 yrs old and our bun buns were born around June 19th so about 3 months old. We have had them since two weeks old and they were great with each other up until about a month ago. They were having a break through with our cat I thought but then they started asserting dominance, circling each. The larger rabbit was trying to mount the smaller one then they started fighting abs we broke it up. The smaller bunny then seemed to be more aggressive quickly to the larger one. We keep them apart from each other now and have been. We have a pin about 2’2” by 3’2” connected to litter box 2’ by 1’6” then a small litter for the outside area. We switch them back and forth each day and give time outside of the room but I want to know if this is ok. In a month it’ll be 4 months which is the earliest to spay them, yes both girls (or we think) hoping when we spay them they will be better to each other. Other wise we will likely need to re-home one of our little bun buns 😭

For now is this an ok situation? Are we being humane? Is this situation going to get better? We want our two adorable bunnies to be happy and become best friends with our kitty but not sure how realistic this all is.

Before fighting

Current set-up in the room.

[Cinnimon&Ollie]

It is okay for short time use. You want to try as much as you can to get them bonded ( when they are spayed) because rabbits are very social animals. You are being humane, you are trying your best. I don’t know how many square feet it is??? But I had my bunny in a cage ( 5 square feet ) because the pen we ordered didn’t come in time, it was 2 and a half weeks late. The situation will get better and hopefully they we be best friends soon!

[DanaNM]

It isn’t ideal but it’s temporary and better than a tiny cage. Also it’s important and good that they are getting exercise in a larger space. The one thing I really don’t like is that the bun in the grey carrier set-up can’t see out at all.  Maybe you could invest in some x-pens so you could give them more space?  I also really like using NIC cube grids to make temporary housing for keeping un-bonded bunnies separate. You can also get really small mesh ones that function as “nose guards” so they can’t nip noses.

Once they are spayed (or neutered if one ends up being a boy), it is likely that you will be able to bond them, so don’t stress too much just yet. It can be a bit of a process, but most bunny pairings DO work out, and the fact that you separated them before a bunny got injured is very good (bunnies can hold grudges from fights).

When they are older, their interactions with your cat will also likely be better. I tend to pen my rabbits when I’m not home for the same reason (my cat can be a bit crazy sometimes. Some tips for good cat interactions:

-play with you cat regularly with toys that do NOT resemble bunnies. so none of those large “kick” type toys

-get a squirt bottle to spritz your cat if he’s getting to predatory towards the buns.

-have a “safe zone” for your bunnies to retreat to that the cat is not allowed in.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Keano]

So for clarification on the pen. They can see out. It’s mesh you can look through but for sure shades the inside area. They can see through the top and I have their food areas near each other’s just on either side one inside the pen one outside it you can see through the side and the top.

[Keano]

Also to clarify they had one bad fight. One scratch below the smaller ones eye but mostly white fur of the larger bunny around the room. But then they were next to each other and we separated again. They broke through the pin but we blocked the hole they made and it’s been good since. One point one of the bunnies got through the same hole when I didn’t block it again on accident but they didn’t fight I just woke up with two adorable bunnies looking at my face so I was confused and happy but put one back in the pin and properly covered the hole.

[DanaNM]

Hahah gotcha!

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[LBJ10]

Obviously, this isn’t ideal. But it is better than having them fight or mate (if it turns out there is one of each sex). They should be kept separate until they can be spayed (and/or neutered). Once that is done and they are healed, you should be able to bond them properly. This will also cut down on aggressive behavior toward your cat. As long as your cat is friendly, they should be able to build enough of a report that they can coexist peacefully. You still may not be able to trust them alone together though.

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